lecture interdisciplinary challanges on ucrac

Survival kitU-CrAc: interdisciplinary challenges

U-CrAc = a design process

What to expect?How does the designer address problems?What characterizes the design process?What is the value/main focus in design?What are the tacit rules of design?What characterizes interdisciplinary team work?

A pieces of advice

How does the designer address problems?

Problems/assignmentsWicked or ill-defined problemsSearch for the underlying problemSearch for an understanding of the problem in a larger context

Problems/assignments

They might not start to solve the problem, but to challenge the definition of the problem

They postpone decisions They work with developing a solution and

understanding the problem simultaneously.

Problems/assignmentsHow may non-designers experience this

Frustrating – becuase the problem does not get solved as fast as possibleAs time consuming and unnessesary

Problems/assignmentsWhy do they do this?

Because they more concerned about designing the right thing than designing it right!

What characterizes the design process?

The design processIterative Divergent og Convergent’thinking outside the box’

The design process

If a solution does not work – you return to start (with the new learning you gained)

You do no stop at the first solution – you create many alternatives and evaluate these

You work with forced analogies what if an astronaut is going to use this?

The design processHow might none-designers experience this?

As one step forward and two steps backwardAs unnecessary search for new ideasAs strange or maybe too childish

The design processWhy are they doing this?• To make sure the whole solution-space

have been explored before selecting a solution,

• Because the search for new and alternative solutions that lies outside the ‘normal’/known realm of logic.

What is the value/main focus in design?

People

People/users

The users needs are the most important other relevant issues such as economy

and ‘workability’ may be ignored or postponed until later in the development process

People/usersHow may non-designers experience this?

As very limited focusAs no sense of reality

People/usersWhy do they do it

Because they are the users advocate in the development process

What are the tacit rules of design?

The tacit rulesBad ideas die by themselves – so do not kill a potentially good idea just because you might think it is stupidIdea generation and idea evaluation must be separatedYou are the users advocateStop discussing – start testing! (prototype)

What characterizes interdisciplinary team work?

It is really hard!

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Why is it hard

You have different knowledge, experiences and opinionsYou ‘speak’ different languagesIt is easy to feel outside/misunderstood

Interdisciplinary teamwork

What to do then

Accept it is hardBe patient with your teammatesListen more – speak lessBe proactive rather than reactive (contribute)

A piece of advice

• Be a co-designer• Do your best and take

care of your team• Accept that not

everything is within your ‘comfort-zone’

Enjoy the ride!